2. INTRODUCTION
There are many attributes that a person should have to be a successful distance
learner. These include, but are not limited to:
General Abilities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Responsibility (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012; Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012)
Self-disciplined, self-motivated, a self-starter, and self-reliant (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &
Zvacek, 2012; University of Otago, 2014)
Perseverance (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012)
Organization and time management skills (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012)
Strong reading and writing skills (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012; University of Otago, 2014)
Understanding one’s learning style (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Willingness to bring prior experience and knowledge into the educational
setting (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Open-mindedness (University of Otago, 2014)
Having these attributes will not guarantee success as a distance learner, but they
certainly will not hurt the student’s chances of being successful.
Thanks to Discovery
Education at
http://school.discovery
education.com/clipart/
category/tchr0001.html
3. INTRODUCTION (CONTINUED)
Charles Wedemeyer stated that independence of the student
was the key to distance learning (Simson, Smaldino, Albright &
Zvacek, 2012).
Wedemeyer’s system says that the student should “be capable
of operation anyplace where there are students – or even only
one student – whether or not there are teachers at the same
place at the same time” (Simson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek,
2012).
Student independence is very present in this course.
The student can work anywhere and at any time.
The student is completely responsible for the completion of the
course.
Thanks to Discovery
Education at
http://school.discover
yeducation.com/clipa
rt/category/tchr.html
4. GENERAL ABILITIES
The student should possess several general abilities that will help
them succeed as a distance learner. They are:
Cognitive abilities to be able to comprehend the material
The ability to follow instructions to complete assignments
Technical know-how to use the computer to complete
assignments and ultimately the course with a minimum of
technical difficulties
Good communication skills
Willingness to work with others - along with communication skills
will enable students to gain as much knowledge as possible from
their coursework
Reference for the entire slide: (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Thanks to csp16680716 at
http://www.canstockpho
to.com
5. RESPONSIBILITY
There are several responsibilities for which the student must
be accountable. They are:
Accepts responsibility for their own learning
Recognizes that they need to know what is expected of
them (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Takes responsibility to communicate clearly with the other
students in the class as well as the teacher
Takes responsibility to know when to ask for help and
actually asks for the help
Thanks to 3poD at
http://www.illustrationsof.com/15395
6. SELF-DISCIPLINED, SELF MOTIVATED,
SELF-STARTER, AND SELF-RELIANT
The student needs to be self-disciplined, self-motivated, a self-
starter, and self-reliant. The learner needs to be:
Self-disciplined to focus and complete tasks on time (Simonson, Smaldino,
Albright, & Zvacek, 2012)
Motivated to do the work and be eager to participate in the class
A self-starter that can start and finish tasks on their own
Self-reliant and have the confidence in themselves and their
abilities and the ability to work independently (University of Otago, 2014).
Thanks to
http://www.Hackensack.org
7. PERSEVERANCE
Students need perseverance to be successful. This means that the
learner must:
Be the type of student that finishes what they start, no matter how
hard they think it is.
Be willing to admit when they do not understand what is
expected and contact either the instructor or a classmate for
assistance
Know that just giving up on the assignment would not be helpful
to passing a class.
Thanks to
http://fotosearch.com
8. ORGANIZATION AND TIME
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
To be a successful distance learner, students must:
Be organized and manage their time in an efficient
manner (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, 2012)
Posses time management skills that allow the student to
set aside time each week to complete their work
Learn to prioritize everything in their life (Macon & Shahani, 1990).
Without organizational skills, the student could become lost
very easily and have trouble completing assignments.
Thanks to
http://needanotheryou.com
9. STRONG READING AND WRITING
SKILLS
Strong reading and writing skills are necessary for successful
completion of a distance learning course (Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute,
2012; University of Otago, 2014).
Strong reading skills enable the student to read and comprehend
the discussions, assignments, and projects assigned to them
Writing skills are essential to completing the discussions,
assignments, and projects because most of them are in the form
of a written paper or presentation
Thanks to
http://www.clker.com
10. UNDERSTANDING LEARNING STYLE
The student knowing and understanding their learning style is
important to their success as a distance learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &
Zvacek, 2012).
This can help with the selection of courses, if the student has a
choice.
In the case of a required course, the student can look for ways
the course can be suited to their learning style.
Thanks to
http://www.careerkids.com
11. WILLINGNESS TO BRING PRIOR EXPERIENCE
AND KNOWLEDGE AND OPENMINDEDNESS
A student's life and work experiences color their educational
experience, especially in a distance setting (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek,
2012)
Experience levels range from prior distance education experience to
no experience with the internet at all
The student needs to know that their experience counts
All students bring a prior knowledge (even if it is just a little) of the
subject being taught
The student needs to know that their prior knowledge can help them
be a successful learner
Students must be open-minded about sharing their life, work
experiences, and educational experiences (University of Otago, 2014)
Thanks to
http://inspringedchat.wordpress.com
12. CONCLUSION
A person’s general abilities and many other factors define their
success as a distance education student.
A student must remain open-minded about sharing life, work,
and educational experiences in a distance setting.
Without sharing some personal details, instructors and other
students cannot get to know the student.
In a traditional setting, the instructor can look for visible cues to
gauge understanding. That is not possible in a distance learning
scenario.
Each student determines their own level of success.
Thanks to
http://www.odec.ca
13. REFERENCES
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute. (2012). Distance
learning success. Retrieved from
http://www.ccti.edu/DL/Success.htm#page=page-1
Macon, T. H., & Shahani, C. (1990). College students’ time management:
Correlations with academic performance and stress. Journal of
Educational Psychology 82(4) 760-768.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching
and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Boston:
Pearson Education.
University of Otago. (2014). Attributes of highly successful distance
students. Retrieved from
http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/distance_study/otago029904.html
